Ahern calls for crackdown

3:17PM GMT 12 Jan 2002

BERTIE AHERN, the Irish prime minister, has called for action by the Northern Ireland police to track down loyalist terrorists.

Commenting after condemning today's murder of a catholic postman in Belfast, the Dublin premier said: "The figures speak for themselves. We have seen in North Belfast at a time when other areas are quiet, the number of shootings and violent incidents increase quite dramatically.

"According to official figures produced by the Polcie Service of Northern Ireland, two-thirds of those were generated by loyalist groups. But the statistics also show there have been few or no arrests. That is a worrying situation, and I am sure that the Secretary of State, John Reid, will do all he can to try to improve and deal with that situation.

"It would be surprising if some of the leaders of the loyalist gangs are not known, and, of course, people have felt that something was going to happen because tension has built up over the past few days. They feel that more could be done in the policing area. And I just hope that the authorities can do all they can."